General Policy and Disclaimer
ARC welcomes you to its website and hopes that you will find the information presented useful. While the information has been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. We welcome suggestions regarding site improvements.

Information Collected
When you browse the ARC website or download files, certain information about your visit is automatically gathered and stored. This information does not identify you personally and is not readable by other servers. We gather this information to help us make our site and services more useful to you. We do not collect personally identifiable information unless you voluntarily submit it on our website.

You may provide personally identifiable information (PII) to us when you sign up for ARC newsletters, register for an event, contact us through the website, or fill out forms or surveys for which we seek your participation. You are not required to register or provide PII to visit this website.

If you choose to provide us with PII through our website, ARC will use your personal information only to provide you with the information or service you requested. We only share the information you give us with another government entity if your inquiry relates to that entity or as otherwise required by law; otherwise, we will not disclose or share your personal information outside of ARC without your explicit permission.

Links to Other Sites
ARC may link to third-party websites that perform a function on ARC’s behalf, such as hosting a registration page for an ARC event. When you provide PII to a third-party website, you are subject to the privacy and information security policies of the third party, not ARC. These third-party websites are not within ARC’s control. We encourage you to read the privacy and information security policies of any website you link to from ours, especially if you share any personal information.  

ARC may also provide links to other websites to provide you with information that may be relevant or useful. However, we cannot attest to the accuracy of the information provided on any third-party website, and any links are not meant to endorse the sponsors of the sites, or the information or products presented. 

Cookies
Unless you set your browser to block cookies, cookies will be placed onto your computer’s browser when you visit our site. The date and time, the originating IP address, the object requested, and the completion status of the request are collected and saved for each request received by the server. We use a company to collect this information on our behalf. This company, Google Analytics, has its own privacy policy, terms of use, and cookie statement. See Google Analytics’ privacy policy and Google Analytics’ cookie use.

In addition, we use a third-party email service provider called MailChimp to manage our email distribution lists. If you are signed up for an ARC email distribution list, MailChimp will use cookies to track whether and when you open the emails and which content you click on. See MailChimp’s privacy policy and MailChimp’s cookie statement.

What is a Cookie?
A cookie is small data file used by websites to track your Internet use. When you visit a website, the site may place a cookie on your web browser so that it can recognize your computer in the future. Cookies cannot read data from your computer’s hard drive or read cookie files from other websites.

Our website uses cookies to gather anonymous, summary demographic information, and remember your browser when it is used to visit our site again later. Although using persistent cookies creates a more streamlined experience for the user, our website will also work without them.

Deleting or Blocking Cookies
If you do not wish a cookie to be placed on your computer, you may set your browser to block cookies. Web browsers enable you to set your cookie preferences before you start browsing.

If you already enabled a cookie, you may delete the cookie by emptying your cache or deleting them from your browser folder. You can clear your browser to completely remove all browsing data from your hard drive. If you have more than one browser, be sure to delete browsing data from each browser to remove all data from your computer.

Social Media
ARC maintains a presence on social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube. We do not collect any personally identifiable information through these sites; however, the social media platform may do so. Each social media platform has its own privacy, security, and accessibility policies. We encourage you to read these policies before engaging in social media, especially if you share any personal information.

Security
To ensure the availability and integrity of this site, ARC may monitor network traffic for activity such as unauthorized uploads, unauthorized access of non-public information or unauthorized changes. Such activities are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under computer crime laws. Information regarding possible violations of law may be provided to law enforcement officials.

Accessibility
ARC follows applicable laws, rules and regulations, and considers guidelines and best practices implemented in the federal government to support web accessibility to those using standard screen-reading devices. We strive to make this site accessible to users with text-based browsers, low-end processors, slow modem connections, and limited or no multimedia capabilities. Alternative file versions and printed text are also available on request.

Questions and Participation
We welcome your participation and comments. If you have any questions about this policy or any information contained on our website or social media pages, contact the ARC Director of Communications.

Copyright Information

Use or Reproduction of Material from the ARC Website
Material provided on this website and produced by ARC is not copyrighted. These works are in the public domain and may be copied and distributed without permission from ARC. For example, the country, state, and regional maps on this website, which were created by ARC, are in the public domain and may be used without permission. We request that you cite the Appalachian Regional Commission as the source and provide the URL.

Please be aware that other material on this website may not be in the public domain, such as material produced by contractors, and maps and other material on websites linked to on this site. There are legal restrictions on the use of such materials. It is the responsibility of individuals wishing to use information from the ARC site to seek appropriate professional counsel about proper use of material restricted by copyrights or other limits of law.

Restricted Commercial Use
Unauthorized commercial publication or exploitation of protected text, images, content, or other materials from this website is prohibited. Anyone wishing to use any of the protected materials on this website for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, must request and receive prior written permission from the individual intellectual property right holder(s).

Works Created by Contractors
Individuals interested in copying or distributing research reports, and other work produced by ARC contractors or partners, should contact the ARC Director of Communications.

Use of ARC Logo or Seal
The ARC logo may not be used or reproduced without written permission from ARC.

Children’s Privacy
COPPA applies to the online collection of personal information from children under age 13. ARC complies with COPPA standards and does not knowingly collect personal information about children.

Questions
If you have any questions or comments on the information presented here, please send them to the ARC Webmaster.